And soon, the end is near/And so The Late Show with Stephen Colbert faces the final curtain.
Before Colbert’s late night CBS talk show ends on Thursday, May 21, 2026, his buddy and competitor Jimmy Fallon was sure to drop by the Ed Sullivan Theater and drop some well wishes. In Fallon fashion, he sent Colbert off with a song.
Perhaps it’s not cool that this was my first reaction, and apologies in advance Jimmy, but the My Way rendition was actually quite good — both lyrically and vocally. (I knew Fallon can sing, of course, but bad parody lyrics would have sunk the whole ship.)
And now, the end is near/
And so you face the final curtain.
But Trump, he made it clear/
he wants you gone, of that we’re certain.
You’ve been a gracious host/
We’ve loved you since the old Report days.
And more, much more than this/
you did it your way.
CBS, they said you’re through/
and now it’s down to just two Jimmys.
But wait, before you go, can I please have/
one of your Emmys?
Oh now, what will you do?
Dance with the stars? or move to Norway?
In ’28, you’d have our vote/
you did it your way.
Good stuff, right?
It was a funny and sweet moment shared by two guys who you can tell have a genuine friendship — we’ve come so far from The Late Show with David Letterman and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Unfortunately, so have TV ratings, and in the wrong direction.
Late night shows are not inexpensive vessels, especially when led by pricey stars like Colbert, Fallon and Jimmy Kimmel. The nightly viewership of the somewhat antiquated TV format can no longer justify the expense — at least, that’s the roundabout reason CBS gave for canceling The Late Show. As Fallon alluded to in song form, a whole lot of people believe President Trump’s longstanding beef with Colbert played a role in the decision, which came in lockstep with David Ellison’s purchase of Paramount.
Earlier in his visit, Fallon unveiled a portrait of Colbert and his pup Benny on their boat that he had commissioned as a going away gift. The painting was just OK — the inspiration photo was great — but the sentiment was lovely.
Watch and enjoy below. Bon voyage, Stephen.
